About a month ago I attended the OWN IT Summit at Georgetown University. The emphasis of the one-day conference was on how women can “own it” in any industry of interest by facilitating conversation between female leaders and millennials. The brilliance of the program is that it is fully administered by the undergraduates at Georgetown.

Does it crawl all over you when people suggest a deep dive on a certain topic? Will you, in fact, punch the next person who refers to a new idea as disruptive? Whether it’s getting something on the roadmap, increasing your team’s bandwidth, suggesting a paradigm shift, or doing anything via bootstrapping, startup jargon can wear on even the most ambitious entrepreneur.

It’s important to be able to speak the language when dealing with potential investors and partners, but it’s also important to be self-aware and do your best not to overuse jargon. Sure, we might need to ideate on hacks that can lead to deliverables that address clients’ pain points, but let’s have a little fun while doing it, eh?READ MORE

It’s been awhile since we discussed one of our favorite topics – startups!

As I’m sure many of you small business owners and entrepreneurs know, to grow a startup involves lot of patience, waiting for the right elements to come together. Finding the right people, getting the right location, and coming up with the right product for the right audience.

And what better way to find the perfect combination than joining an incubator?

Attempting to establish a startup takes courage, determination, and a slight leap of faith. To run a successful startup, it takes hard work, perseverance, and a lot of luck.

Statistics show, of the 514,000 new business owners in 2012, only 18% will succeed in their first venture. Those who are brave enough to try for a second or third venture see their success rate rise to 20%.

So why are so many business owners willing to take the plunge?

68% believe the odds of their business succeeding are better than others in their sector. And with such a positive attitude, they are more likely to stick it out to see success.READ MORE